May 14, 2021

MPS Law Welcomes Evan Blewett as Partner

Evan D. Blewett 125 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2900 Chicago, Illinois 60606 T: 312-461-4317 F: 312-987-9854 E: eblewett@mpslaw.com Evan Blewett, a distinguished attorney with extensive experience in commercial real estate and corporate finance transactions, has joined Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle LLC (MPS Law) as a partner. Evan’s practice spans both transactional and litigation work, with…

January 4, 2021

“CONDOLIKE CONVERSIONS” COMING TO A MALL NEAR YOU

Author: Brian Meltzer

Introduction/Background Shopping centers and malls (collectively referred to herein as “Malls” or individually as a “Mall”) throughout the country were dealing with the effects of changing consumer buying habits due to the rise of online shopping, which was accelerated by the Corona virus. Big box retailers have been closing stores and filing for bankruptcy in…

December 30, 2020

Suggested Legal Structure for Owner/Occupied Affordable Housing Developments Using Blanket Mortgage Financing

Author: Brian Meltzer

Today, most newly constructed owner/occupant housing developments are governed by a condominium and/or non-condominium homeowners association (“HOA”) made up of the owners of the homes in the development. The housing crash and the great recession which followed (the “Crash”) exposed many flaws and weaknesses in the HOA model. See, Time to Rehab the Aging Condominium…

December 18, 2020

MPS Law Elevates Holly Shuman to Partner

Holly G. Shuman 125 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2900 Chicago, Illinois 60606 T: 312-461-4319 F: 312-987-9854 E: hshuman@mpslaw.com December 18, 2020 – Leading Chicago real estate law firm MPS Law has elevated associate attorney Holly Shuman to partner, effective January 1, 2021. The move capped a rapid rise through the ranks for Shuman, who clerked…

November 25, 2020

TEN THINGS WE DO TO SAVE OUR TENANT CLIENTS MONEY

Author: Scott Hargadon

CONTACT 125 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2900Chicago, Illinois 60606T: 312-461-4314F: 312-987-9854E: shargadon@mpslaw.com Many clients, including companies who have multiple locations and those that don’t, believe that they don’t need to have a “tenant lawyer” involved in a lease transaction because they believe 1) their corporate counsel or general real estate attorney can adequately advise them…

November 6, 2020

PROCEED WITH CAUTION WHEN REJECTING A SUBTENANT’S PROPOSED SUBLEASE ASSIGNMENT

Author: Samuel J. Schumer and Laura M. Carroll

Our leasing team recently encountered a somewhat unique scenario in the commercial leasing arena involving an office sublease between affiliates and the potential pitfalls of a spinoff of the subtenant into its own independent entity. The tenant/sublandlord was particularly concerned about the prospect of one of its competitors acquiring the subtenant after the spinoff is…

October 13, 2020

Q&A: HOLLY SHUMAN ON GETTING THE DEAL DONE FOR HER CLIENTS

For the past six years, MPS Law associate Holly Shuman has focused on real estate transactions. A rising star within the field, Holly recently sat down to talk about MPS Law’s unique approach to representing tenants and the future of commercial leasing. Tell us a little about yourself, and how you became interested in commercial…

August 27, 2020

Q&A: SCOTT HARGADON ON THE IMPORTANCE OF REPRESENTING TENANTS

Scott Hargadon is one of the leading tenant lawyers in the country, representing major corporations, mid-market companies, and entrepreneurial ventures in office and industrial/warehouse leases throughout the United States and Canada. Scott sat down recently to talk about the importance of specialization, negotiating in tough markets, and how COVID-19 has affected tenants. Why did you…

July 30, 2020

INSURANCE ISSUES IN SINGLE TENANT LEASES

Author: Scott Hargadon

In 2020, I have represented tenant clients on three significant single tenant lease transactions, the term I use when a tenant is leasing an entire building. The landlords in these transactions approached insurance issues quite differently and it provided the opportunity for me to consider what are the best practices for tenants when leasing all…

July 15, 2020

TEN THINGS TENANT BROKERS SHOULD DO IN LETTERS OF INTENT

Author: Scott Hargadon and Holly Shuman

As leasing attorneys for tenants, we read many letters of intent (“LOI”) as part of our job. Some are excellent, providing a concise description of the parties’ business deal. Others raise more questions than they answer. We applaud brokers who do a thorough job with LOIs because during the LOI negotiations, a tenant’s negotiating leverage…

June 22, 2020

TEN THINGS TO CONSIDER IN CO-WORKING AGREEMENTS

Author: By: Scott Hargadon and Holly Shuman

September 24, 2018; updated June 22, 2020 Co-working arrangements in lieu of typical office leases have been on the rise over the past five years. When we think of these arrangements, we typically think of startup companies, millennial workers, and open floor plans. However, many established companies now supplement their traditional office space with space…

June 16, 2020

Q&A: MICHAEL DASH OF CBRE ON “GETTING THE DEAL DONE”

Michael Dash is a vice-chairman of CBRE, the largest full-service real estate company in the world. Michael has worked with MPS Law partner Scott Hargadon for more than 20 years on hundreds of office lease deals, and also co-authored white papers with Scott on negotiating leases. He spoke with us in May on his relationship…

June 9, 2020

MPS LAW OFFICES REOPENING MONDAY JUNE 15

On Monday, June 15, the offices of Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle LLC will reopen for business. We will be fully staffed and ready to serve you at both our downtown Chicago and Schaumburg locations. To help ensure the health and safety of all, we have instituted the following guidelines and ask all visitors to comply…

May 26, 2020

Q&A: DAVID FRIEDLAND OF CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD ON NEGOTIATING INDUSTRIAL LEASES

David Friedland is an executive director and Chicago industrial group leader at Cushman & Wakefield, a global commercial real estate services firm. A broker for 26 years, David has worked with Scott Hargadon at MPS Law for 10 years on several leases. He spoke with us in May, 2020 about MPS Law’s negotiating tactics, why…